COLUMBUS, Ohio – Balancing kids and work is challenging, especially when childcare options are limited. Farm and ranch parents are being sought for a national study into their experiences with this situation.

Researchers at the National Farm Medicine Center and The Ohio State University want to better understand farm and ranch families operating in rural, urban or suburban areas, and their realities of balancing children and work.

“Childcare challenges (paid or unpaid) can have consequences for the farm business, the safety of children, and the well-being of the family as a whole,” said Shoshanah Inwood, rural socialist and associate professor of community, food, and economic development at Ohio State. “This is the first nationwide comprehensive survey focused on the realities of farmers and ranchers raising children.” 

The survey is based on a larger study the researchers have been working on for the past two years, said Florence Becot, an associate research scientist at the National Farm Medicine Center, based in Wisconsin. They’re trying to understand what farm families face with raising children on farms, and how that intersects with the farm business as well as with farm safety.

“From research from small projects that we’ve done before … we’ve heard that it can be challenging to raise children on a farm. As much as people love doing it, it can be hard. You are trying to do work at the same time that you have young children around. This survey is a national level assessment to get a broader understanding of what it is like for farmers and ranchers.”

Two-thirds of parents told the researchers that they experienced challenges with childcare, Becot said. In studies before COVID-19, three out of five rural communities were categorized as childcare deserts. This is a situation where there are more children than there are spots available in childcare.

“We know that a lot of parents do not want to send their children to childcare but it still doesn’t mean that it is easy,” Becot said. “From doing group discussions with women with children on farms we’ve heard of people piecing childcare out of a lot of different things in their rush to do things. They work while the children are sleeping; they might have grandma look after the kids for a couple of hours and then somebody else does. We’ve heard of a lot of cobbling things together which can be stressful.”

Because this is a Farm Bill year, the survey is timely, Becot said. Also, the American Farm Bureau Federation included affordable rural childcare in its final policy priorities for the 2023 Farm Bill. Some legislators have worked on bills to increase access to childcare in rural areas.

The survey asks farmers not only about their children and schooling arrangements, but also about how their decisions are connected to farm safety, the economic viability of their farm business, and their household finances.

Anyone who plays a role in the operation of a farm or a ranch and who is the primary caregiver of children currently under the age of 18, can complete the online survey.

The survey, which should take 15-20 minutes to complete, can be found at https://redcap.link/Survey1_FarmersRaisingChildren. For questions or to request a paper survey, contact Florence Becot at 715-389-9379 or becot.florenceAmarshfieldresearch.org.